1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to absorbing energy into a thermodynamic system and using that energy elsewhere or converting it to other useful forms of energy. These energy forms can be used to perform work, reduce the normal workload within a system and in some embodiments it can be used to perform both.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many of the machines used today are powered by internal combustion engines (ICE). As part of their normal operation, heat is created. This heat is typically viewed as a waste product and many times, additional work needs to be performed by the ICE to get rid of this heat. Currently, there are few devices that retrieve this energy and use it to create work or reduce the work normally performed by the ICE.
Using the example of an automobile, there are many devices in an automobile that are powered by mechanisms that force the ICE to do more work. By adding more work that must be performed by the ICE, more fuel is used. A good example of this is an automobile alternator that uses the mechanical energy of the ICE to produce an electric charge to charge a battery. Another example is the ICE cooling system that forces work on the engine to circulate coolant through the engine. Similar examples exist in other uses of ICEs. A refrigeration truck or fishing boat uses significant amounts of fuel to create the mechanical energy that runs the compressor to keep their refrigeration compartments cool. At the same time, the ICE discharges a significant amount of heat as waste.
By reducing the mechanical work demands on an ICE and substituting that work with work performed by other energy sources, the ICE can work less and burn less fuel. Energy sources that are already present in an ICE, such as waste heat, can provide a substitute or supplement for that work. In addition, these energy sources can supplement the mechanical work the ICE performs to move a body further reducing the fuel consumption.
A similar situation exists with building environmental control systems. A building's exterior is exposed to thermal energy coming from the sun. The heat creates a larger demand on the environmental control systems when the temperature is high by demanding more air conditioning. There are few ways to take advantage of this heat source and convert it to useful work that can lower the electrical demand caused by the increased need in air conditioning.
By using a heat source that is normally a waste by-product as the energy source, this system can create work that was otherwise not available. If sufficient energy is captured, multiple types of work can be extracted from the system. For systems such as an automobile, this additional work can make the total automobile more efficient.
The existing art is attempts to work within the existing designs, and therefore the existing temperature and pressure ranges of engine designs. These approaches miss the benefits that can come from other solutions that utilize extreme temperatures and pressures. By increasing the amount of heat that is taken from the ICE, it may be possible to have the ICE operate at higher temperatures. And by operating an ICE at these higher temperatures, the efficiency of the ICE can be increased.
Additionally, existing solutions comprise point solutions that do not necessarily maximize the efficiency of multiple waste energy sources and multiple energy extraction means.
In the existing art, U.S. Pat. No. 4,996,845 discloses a power generating device however this device is limited to automobile implementations and requires constant operation of the automobile engine to generate power.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,751,959 discloses a power cycle with fluids having low boiling points however, that implementation does not disclose features to make the power cycle efficient in environments such as mobile vehicles.
The prior art does not address the benefits and challenges associated with solutions integrating multiple devices and systems connected to a power generating device connected to what is normally a waste heat source.
There remains a useful benefit, therefore, for an energy retriever system that can capture energy and transport or convert that energy into other useful sources. By capturing energy that is typically a nuisance or a waste product, the efficiency of systems can be increased.